Bangkok Riverside

Bangkok Area Guides

The Chao Phraya is the main artery of the city, pumping life into Bangkok. Here the scene is constantly changing with water- taxis, dinner cruises, ferries and rice barges shuttling to and fro and from dusk till dawn there is a strong sense of movement and life.

Here, we have Bangkok at its best comprising five-star hotels and temples with authentic Thailand traits, as well as markets, street -food vendors and hawkers. A day on the riverside can be spent on land or off, exploring the dense of warren of sois by foot eventually working your way up to Chinatown or embarking on a meandering adventure through old-Bangkok on a khlong (canal) tour. Whatever your choice of activity it will surely be a memory you won’t forget in a hurry.

Riverside is definitely the place to start the evening, either on a party boat enjoying dinner, dancing and dare it be said – singing, or in one of the numerous riverside restaurants or bars enjoying a moonlit cocktail.

The area has enforced strict noise pollution measures ensuring that the partying stops at around about midnight. Around this hour it is always a good call to slip into one of the handful of sultry hotel jazz bars where you can usually catch a drink and a few tunes until around 02:00 Read More...

The banks of the River of Kings are indeed, littered with properties fit to rest the heads of royalty. Playing host to some of the finest hotels in the world from the distinctly colonial, Mandarin Oriental (Bangkok’s first hotel) to the overt glitz of the Shangri-La. Business travellers are well catered for at the Peninsular while the Millennium Hilton serves as a reminder of the forces of modernity, nicely contrasting with the neighboring temples. Read More...

Dining choices are a diverse as the buildings down on riverside. Fine-dining French and Italian fare can be enjoyed from the comfort of one the many five-star residences. For something cheaper and more authentic there are Thai-style seafood joints, on wooden stilts. The real draw of this area for dining is of course the chance to eat riverside while enjoying the sensational Chao Phraya views. Read More...

Much of the shopping down on Bangkok’s Riverside reflects the quality and craftsmanship of the palaces, temples and five-star hotels that occupy the area. Expect to find shops selling fine antiques, Thai silk, Persian rugs and jewelry, silverware and leather goods.

The high concentration of bead and ethnic jewelry stores are testament to the trade route the area occupies. With the presence of an Indian community there are some highly desirable accessories to be found. Other than this there are some local-style markets that pop up midweek where discount fashion garments can be bought. Read More...

The Riverside offers the sort of sightseeing opportunities that will leave you eager to learn more about the history of Thailand and the country’s cultural and religious beliefs. In other words, it’s a good place to begin your holiday.

Comprising both old and new world Thailand, the banks of the Chao Phraya serve as a reminder of the mercantile era, when the city welcomed early foreign trading ships and European messengers. Note that the colonial architecture of the French Embassy and Oriental Hotel are situated alongside Khmer architecture, abandoned warehouses and even modern houses of worship. This is architectural eclecticism at its most interesting.

These structures are just the external delights of the area: once inside the temples you can see the craftsmanship that has been applied to ornate Buddhist sculptures and artifacts. Other points of interest include the Royal Barge Museum, the Crocodile Farm and the life-size monument of the revered King Rama I. Arguably, the biggest attraction of the entire area if of course the river that incessantly pumps lifeblood into the heart of Bangkok, keeping the city alive and flourishing. Read More...

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